Clinical Fact Sheets

Our Clinical Fact Sheets series have been prepared by Dr Carolyn Pritchett and Dr Emma Stone. They are intended as a general educational summary and guide to the use of medicinal cannabis in a specific indication.

Anxiety, Depression and medicinal cannabinoids

In New Zealand, there is a large and growing prevalence of mental health disorders, particularly anxiety and depression1. The lifetime prevalence for anxiety and mood disorders is estimated to be 20-25 percent of the New Zealand population. Living with anxiety or depression can detrimentally impact physical, emotional, social, and mental wellbeing, and this population frequently has complex and costly healthcare needs.

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Cancer and medicinal cannabinoids

Cancer is the single largest cause of death in New Zealand. For every three New Zealanders who are diagnosed with cancer, two will not be cured. Pain is especially common during the advanced stages of cancer, when the prevalence is estimated to be more than 70 percent, and an estimated 5-10 percent have such chronic severe pain that it interferes with normal functioning. More than half of all cancer patients will experience moderate-to-severe pain, which is often experienced in multiple sites and can be assessed and treated as breakthrough, neuropathic, nociceptive or mixed pain.

Chronic Pain and medicinal cannabinoids

Chronic non-cancer pain is a prevalent and complex issue that causes significant distress to the individual and society. Chronic pain is a consistent leading global cause of disability and disease burden, with lower back and neck pain representing the leading causes of disability worldwide. Over 770,000, or one in five New Zealanders, report chronic pain. By 2048, it is expected that 1.26 million people will suffer from chronic pain, costing our economy up to $24 billion.

Epilepsy and medicinal cannabinoids

Epilepsy affects between 40-50,000 people in New Zealand, with almost 2,000 additional diagnoses yearly, and is estimated to impact over 50 million people worldwide. Treatment-resistant (refractory) epilepsy occurs in 10-20 percent of paediatric epilepsy patients
and can be detrimental to healthy brain development – negatively impacting social and cognitive development and educational outcomes.

Rheumatic conditions and medicinal cannabinoids

Arthritis is an umbrella term that encompasses more than 100 kinds of rheumatic diseases. In New Zealand, it is a highly prevalent condition that affects at least 17 percent of the population fifteen years of age or older. The prevalence of arthritis increases with age, and it is projected that by 2040, there will be more than one million cases of arthritis in New Zealand. Arthritis can detrimentally impact quality of life, reducing the amount of healthy years lived.

Sleep Disorders and medicinal cannabinoids

Inadequate sleep carries far-reaching consequences for health, society, and the economy. Sleep deprivation has been linked to some of the leading causes of death in the OECD. While sleep disorders sometimes occur independently. They can also be a comorbidity of other conditions such as chronic illness or depression.